EXCLUSIVE: The Sentinel imprint of Penguin Group is moving up the publication of Sen. Marco Rubio's memoir, “An American Son.” It was originally planned for October but will now go on sale June 19. The jacket is attached, including the flap copy. There will also be a Spanish language edition, “Un Hijo Americano.” Adrian Zackheim, president and publisher of Sentinel: "National interest in Senator Rubio keeps heating up and we want the book out in the world as quickly as possible. It's important to the Senator and to us that people hear his remarkable story, and that of his family, directly from him." See the jacket.http://bit.ly/AsdK1f

--From Rubio’s jacket: “Rubio spent countless hours with his grandfather … ‘Papa’ loved being Cuban, but he also loved America for being a beacon of liberty to oppressed people around the world. As Rubio puts it, ‘My grandfather didn’t know America was exceptional because he read about it in a book. He lived it and saw it with his own eyes. … Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about allowing people to catch up. … [M]y dad would work banquets at hotels. At these events there are usually only two people standing—the speaker on the podium and the bartender behind the bar. My dad was the one behind the bar. But he worked all his life so that his kids could make the symbolic journey from the bar to the podium.'”

BULLETIN -- "Apple to Pay Dividend, Plans $10 Billion Buyback," by WSJ's Jessica E. Vascellaro: "Apple Inc. said Monday that it plans to initiate a dividend and share repurchase program starting later this year. The ... company expects to initiate a quarterly dividend of $2.65 a share sometime in the fourth quarter ... Its board also has authorized a $10 billion share repurchase program starting in fiscal 2013 to be executed over three years."

THE NARRATIVE –“Confident Romney calls for unity, looks to Ill.,” by AP’s Steve Peoples in Vernon Hill, Ill.: “Romney's increasingly confident campaign is intensifying calls … for his Republican opponents to concede defeat in the presidential nomination battle, even before Illinois voters have their say Tuesday … Romney extended his delegate lead Sunday in Puerto Rico, where he … scored all 20 of the Caribbean island's delegates. Romney has collected more delegates than his opponents combined … Romney's wife, Ann, declared Sunday night in suburban Illinois that the time has come for her husband's rivals to quit the race. ‘We need to send a message that it's time to coalesce,’ she said, Mitt at her side.”

--Public Policy Polling, “ Romney up big in Illinois”: “Romney is headed for a blowout victory in Illinois on Tuesday. He leads with 45% to 30% for Rick Santorum, 12% for Newt Gingrich, and 10% for Ron Paul.” http://bit.ly/yJJjUE

JEFFREY TOOBIN, in The New Yorker, on Supreme Court arguments on the health-care law, scheduled for six hours over three days, starting a week from today: “The precedents supporting the constitutionality of [the Affordable Care Act] haven’t changed, but the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, has. As in the Senate, moderate Republicans held sway for years at the Supreme Court, but that species has vanished on both sides of First Street. The likes of Lewis Powell and Sandra Day O’Connor have been replaced by the likes of John Roberts and Samuel Alito.

“In order to strike down health-care reform, the new Republican Justices would have to change the underlying constitutional law, which they have proved themselves more than capable of doing. They have already cut a swath through the Court’s precedents on such issues as race, abortion, and campaign finance, and it’s possible that they will assemble the votes to do the same on the scope of the Commerce Clause. The high-stakes health-care case is a useful reminder of the even higher stakes in the Presidential election. If a Republican, any Republican, wins in November, his most likely first nominee to the Supreme Court will be Brett Kavanaugh.” http://nyr.kr/wZg9DV

WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Hugh Maska-Jackson, first child of White House’s Johanna Maska and AP’s CJ Jackson (“Henry C. Jackson,” for wire-watchers), is one week old today, born March 12: “Like his mom, he is all about keeping the schedule. Hugh arrived … the first day of Mom's maternity leave and a day ahead of his due date. And, like his Mom, he's got an excellent set of vocal cords, which he put to use on arrival. He is doing splendidly, weighing in at 6 pounds 6.7 ounces, measuring about 20 inches and sporting a shock of his Dad's dark hair.” Hugh also has Dad’s curiosity. So far, a wonderfully well-behaved little guy.

RYAN LIZZA hung out all night for a “Talk of the Town” account of POLITICO’s primary-night livestream webcasts: “Politico Live has no commercials, and, except for an opening title sequence, no music. It is just hours of unfiltered banter by Politico’s motley writers, who revel in how untelegenic they are. After the first few shows, C-SPAN, the gold standard for political-chat television with low production values, asked to broadcast Politico Live nationally. It was a hit. … John Harris, Politico’s editor-in-chief, … explained that the original premise of Politico was not just to shine a light on politics but to upend the staid conventions of journalism by allowing voices that traditional newspapers wouldn’t publish. …

“As with any good reality show, the secret to Politico Live’s success is the characters. Richard Adams, of the Guardian, has called it ‘“Jersey Shore” for politics junkies.’ … Harris is the laid-back philosopher boss, while [Jim] VandeHei, the anchor, plays the role of Donald Trump. On Tuesday, he barked commands at his reporters and gently mocked them. Jonathan Martin … plays the put-upon underling. VandeHei asked viewers to tweet about whether Martin ‘should dress a little better next time he’s on.’ … ‘Traditional TV,’ [VandeHei] said, … ‘ain’t doin’ it for ’em anymore. They want something more authentic. They want less talking heads and more of what’s really happening behind the scenes. … Viewers love the sausage-making process.”

BREAKING: Facebook names Susan Gonzales to be Head of Community Engagement, based at the Menlo Park HQ, “responsible for creating and managing outreach to diverse communities … She will also serve as liaison to key members of Congress. Susan will report to Joel Kaplan, Vice President-U.S. Public Policy and head of the Facebook Washington, DC Office. Susan [has] been working with [Facebook] as a fulltime consultant since August. … Susan spent more than eight years at Comcast [and] sits on [Interior] Secretary Ken Salazar’s Task Force for the Partnership for American Great Outdoors and serves as Vice Chairperson of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. She is an executive producer of the HBO film, ‘The Latino List.’”

CANTOR-McCARTHY “YG Network [Young Guns super PAC] getting aggressive on ObamaCare with polling & ad to coincide with 2 year anniversary of the law: North Star Opinion Research … poll [finds] … voters have remained strongly opposed to the health care reform law despite knowing more about it … ‘The plan will not add one dime to the federal budget deficit’ is [viewed as] false by a 71 to 20 percent margin. ‘The plan will lower health insurance premiums for the average family by two thousand five hundred dollars per year’ is [viewed as] false by a 67 to 21 percent margin. … As the law heads to the Supreme Court, over two-thirds of voters say the federal government does not have the authority for the individual mandate by a 69 to 24 percent margin. … The YG Network, Action Fund and Policy Center are now on Twitter. … @YGNetwork @YGActionFund @YGPolicy.” Poll summary http://bit.ly/ws9pxE

PAUL RYAN NOT BACKING OFF IN NEW BUDGET, OUT TOMORROW -- Jake Sherman: "[T]he [House] GOP is gambling that going big and bold on [its] fiscal blueprint — think major changes to Medicare and Medicaid — will convince voters the GOP is the nation’s responsible party … But it’s a gambit fraught with political peril … Budget Committee Chairman] Paul Ryan’s budget last year gave Democrats an opening to paint Republicans as willing to end Medicare as voters know it and batter Medicaid — while cutting taxes for the wealthy. The GOP believes that crucial independent voters will reward them for being willing tackle the nation’s faltering finances.” http://bit.ly/xLG2I3

--PAUL RYAN MINDMELD: This is a concerted effort not to back down: The American people will reward us for speaking to them as adults, not children, on the drivers of our debt. The center of gravity on the debate has shifted toward Republicans since last year. We’re creating space for bipartisan decisions on saving Medicare for current seniors and strengthening it for future generations. But we’re also laying the groundwork for an AFFIRMING election – a mandate if we keep our majority after November’s elections.

--ROLLOUT: Ryan and House Budget Committee members hold a press conference at the Capitol at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow release the budget. Then he speaks at AEI at 11:30 and holds a mark-upWednesday.

--PUSHBACK 1: The DCCC today launches a paid and grassroots campaign called “Medicare March” in 41 Republican districts saying the new Republican budget will choose “Millionaires over Medicare.” The first phase will be automated phone calls that will patch voters through to their members’ officies. The campaign also includes citizen phone banks and a new online Medicare Action Center, MedicareMadness2012.com, for Medicare March Madness brackets.

Phone script running against Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.): “Hi, this is Anne from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee calling about Congressman Charlie Bass and House Republicans’ newest scheme to end Medicare. … Press 1 to be connected to Congressman Bass’s office and tell him to protect Medicare for seniors, not tax breaks for Millionaires.”

--PUSHBACK2: Gene Sperling, White House economic adviser, and House Budget Committee ranking member Chris Van Hollen will join moderator Neera Tanden at the Center for American Progress Action Fund from 2-3 p.m. tomorrow.

EMAILS WE DIDN’T OPEN: “no regrets after doing this venture!!”

BEHIND THE CURTAIN – WP tries to preempt NYT Mag tick-tock on grand bargain -- Jake Sherman, with Carrie Budoff Brown: “Eight months after deficit talks collapsed between the nation’s top two elected officials, a 4,600-word inside-the-room narrative by The Washington Post on Sunday … paints the Obama administration as walking away from a nearly-done agreement with Boehner. And when the president eventually came around and wanted to cut a deal, Boehner said it was too late. … [T]he Post piece bolsters the Boehner team’s narrative that it was Obama who got cold feet and became unwilling to strike a grand bargain to fix the nation’s finances. … White House … senior advisers have long maintained it was GOP intransigence and Boehner’s inability to round up votes from his members that scuttled the deal.

“[T]he New York Times Magazine’s Matt Bai is working on a similar piece, and Bob Woodward is writing a book on Obama’s handling of the economy … [I]n the Post’s version of events, Obama is portrayed as getting spooked by a backlash from the left if he pulled the trigger. … [T]here’s little substantively new in the Post’s account … Nearly all of the proposals traded — and countered — were reported in the days and weeks after the deal collapsed. … [But o]ffices shared emails — including one from Boehner aide Brett Loper — and drafts of legislative proposals. Notes were provided to the newspaper. Moments of munching muffins and checking BlackBerrys were described.” http://bit.ly/zFEDI5

** A message from Americans to Protect Family Security: 75 million American families turn to life insurance, annuities, long-term care and disability income insurance for peace of mind, long-term savings, and a guarantee of lifetime income when it’s time to retire. Take a closer look: www.securefamily.org. **

BIRTHDAYS: Anatole Jenkins of Organizing for America in Las Vegas, one of the youngest Obama campaign staffers, who has been working there non-stop since early 2011 and will finally be able to more fully partake of Vegas now that he is 21. From James, Katie and Ryan, who can’t wait for his D.C. return post-election 2012 … Kayla Cook is 27 (hat tip: Jeannie. Etchart) … Alex Trowbridge … Tara McGuinness, senior vice president of the Center for American Progress … “Good Morning America”’s Katie Bosland … Brent Scowcroft is 87 … Harvey Weinstein is 60 (h/ts AP) … Doug Hill of Madison, formerly with Rep. Obey … Joel Rogers … Emma Lieberth (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

REAL WORLD -- “Israelis agree Iran hasn’t decided on atom bomb,” by AP’s Amy Teibel: “Israel's leaders have been charging in no uncertain terms for years that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Though officials say they accept the more nuanced American view, they warn that it is just a matter of semantics, because an Iran on the verge of being able to build a bomb would still be a danger. … The suspicion in Israel is that the Iranians have held off on a decision in order to deny Israel — and other countries — the pretext for an attack, officials said.” http://bit.ly/AuINuk

BREAKFAST CRUNCH-- "Postal codes add zip for Romney," by Zachary Abrahamson: "Here’s a guide to the former Massachusetts governor’s money map, a listing of his top ZIP codes for contributions through the end of January. Palm Beach, Fla.: Memo to 2016 finance chairs: Get Stephen Ross’s number. The Miami Dolphins owner threw a fundraiser for Romney on Jan. 12 that propelled the 33480 ZIP — Palm Beach — to the No. 1 ranking on Romney’s list of lucrative locales. ... The ZIP delivered Romney some $350,000 through Jan. 31, 2008. This cycle, the figure was closer to $600,000, powered by the retired financial executives and business owners who populate a county with more households with 65 and older residents and with household income over $100,000 than anywhere else in Florida. ...

“Manhattan: When you remove Palm Beach and Greenwich, Conn., from the list of Romney’s Top 10 ZIPs, what’s left is a tour of Manhattan neighborhoods. Mostly, it’s the Upper East Side, starting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and heading down Lexington Avenue. ZIP code 10021? This Upper East Side and Lenox Hill ZIP was good for about $570,000. ZIP 10022? Another $420,000 from Midtown. ZIP 10065? Almost $430,000 came from the ZIP that covers 60th to 69th streets, from Fifth Avenue to the East River. ... Greenwich, Conn.: Four ZIPs here, including two in Greenwich, each delivered about a quarter million or more to the former Massachusetts governor through January. Total every southwest Connecticut code that starts with 068, and the sum runs over $2 million. ... Boston: Home to the Romney campaign headquarters, this city mattered more four years ago. ... Utah: ... Four years ago, ZIP 84604 — Provo, home to Brigham Young University — topped Romney’s money list. And 84108, a Salt Lake City suburb, also cracked Romney’s Top 10. Indeed, of Romney’s Top 20 ZIPs through January 2008, Utah claimed five. Things are different this time around." http://bit.ly/A50cPe

THE GREAT RACE, with Kevin Robillard (@Politico Kevin):

-- “Illinois ballot deal saved Mitt,” by Reid Epstein in Moline: “The problems stem from the campaign relying on Illinois state Treasurer Dan Rutherford. He struggled to acquire enough signatures to qualify for Romney’s delegates and then had the statement of candidacy notarized out of state, a violation of state election rules. … It began when Romney’s campaign challenged the Santorum petitions in 10 of the 14 congressional districts in which the former Pennsylvania senator submitted delegate slates. … the Santorum campaign counter-challenged, pointing out the “fatal error” of the Romney petitions being notarized in Massachusetts instead of Illinois, said Santorum’s Illinois state director, Jon Zahm.” http://bit.ly/xyqysp

-- SANTORUM: N.Y. Times A10, “Santorum Takes on Urban America, and his Own Party,” by Sarah Wheaton: “‘Think about it, look at the map of the United States — blue being the Democrats, red being the Republicans — it’s almost all red,’ Mr. Santorum said Saturday evening. ‘Except around the big cities. ‘And yet when you look at the economic plan that Republicans put forward, it’s all about tax breaks for higher-income individuals who live in those blue areas mostly.’ … In highlighting who would benefit from competing Republican tax proposals, Mr. Santorum seemed to be using urban-rural rivalry as a way to suggest that Mitt Romney, one of his opponents, was the candidate of more liberal city dwellers and that he was the candidate of more conservative rural residents, though polls show that Mr. Romney tends to do well in suburban areas.” http://nyti.ms/yBy9FK

--GINGRICH: ABC News, “Haley Barbour Says He Voted For Newt Gingrich,” by Jon Karl: “‘I didn’t endorse anybody [before the primary],’ Barbour told me. ‘I didn’t want to try to influence anybody’s vote, so beforehand I didn’t say who I voted for. But Newt and I have been friends a long, long time.’ … If he had run, Barbour said he would have worked to keep more of the focus on President Obama’s record on the economy and deficits.” http://abcn.ws/FPxWGp

MEDIAWATCH -- N.Y. Times B7, “C-Span Founder to Step Down as Chief Executive,” by Brian Stelter: “Brian Lamb, who created the revolutionary nonprofit cable television network C-Span in the late 1970s and has been its public face ever since, is handing it over to two lieutenants, Rob Kennedy and Susan Swain. Effective April 1, they will become the co-chief executives of C-Span and Mr. Lamb will become the executive chairman, formalizing a management change that has been years in the making. … Mr. Lamb, 70, said in an interview that Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Swain would ‘continue the mission’ of televising the nation’s affairs. They have worked at C-Span since the 1980s and have been the presidents and co-chief operating officers since 2006.” http://nyti.ms/yf7zVc

** A message from Americans to Protect Family Security: Social Security pays out $1.9 billion daily. The life insurance industry pays out $1.5 billion - every day. Surprised? Don’t be. It’s a big reason why 75 million American families turn to the life insurance industry to protect their financial future. Life insurance. Annuities. Long-term care and disability income insurance. 2 out of 3 families put their trust in them every day. Because they provide peace of mind, long-term savings, and a guarantee of lifetime income when it’s time to retire. See how families in your state benefit at www.securefamily.org. **

****** A message from Morgan Stanley: Storage makes renewable energy available when it’s needed the most. Given the U.S. electric grid’s lack of storage capacity, conventional power plants, including gas-fired ones, have remained utilities’ most reliable source of electricity. That could be about to change. Morgan Stanley analysts argue that the price of both solar and wind energy, as well as new storage units, have reached a point where renewable energy can finally become a dependable, rather than an unpredictable, source of energy. According to the report, the demand for storage is expected to grow from a less than $300 million a year market to as much as $4 billion in the next two to three years. More affordable battery storage units could enable the growth of renewables or defer costly transmission and distribution projects, and also could lead to significant utility bill savings for solar customers. Read more from Morgan Stanley.******

About The Author

Mike Allen is the chief White House correspondent for POLITICO. He comes to us from Time magazine where he was their White House correspondent. Prior to that, Allen spent six years at The Washington Post, where he covered President Bush's first term, Capitol Hill, campaign finance, and the Bush, Gore and Bradley campaigns of 2000. Before turning to national politics, he covered schools and local governments in rural counties outside Fredericksburg, Va., for The Free Lance-Star, then wrote about Doug Wilder, Oliver North, Chuck Robb and the Bobbitts for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where he nurtured police sources on overnight ride-alongs through housing projects. Allen also covered Mayor Giuliani, the Connecticut statehouse and the wacky rich of Greenwich for The New York Times. Before moving to The Times, he did stints in the Richmond and Alexandria bureaus of The Washington Post. Allen grew up in Orange County, Calif., and has a B.A. from Washington and Lee University, where he majored in politics and journalism.